Malin Baryard-Johnsson on the Swedish lead at the Europeans: “We still have a long way to go”

Much to the joy of the home crowds, Team Sweden took the lead at the Longines FEI European Championships in Gothenburg after an exciting second day of jumping. Needless to say, it was a happy Swedish bunch that met the press on Thursday evening.

Douglas Lindelöw, who had a very unfortunate pole on the last fence of the course, was confident to keep fighting on: “Well, I was actually pretty happy with my round today,” he said. “I think my horse jumped well. I had a slightly different feeling from yesterday, but I rode quite according to plan. It was just a silly mistake on the last fence, but overall, I have a good feeling. We will keep fighting on!”

Henrik von Eckermann, who bounced back to his normal self after a disappointing first day and delivered a steady round with Mary Lou, explained that his one-time fault was a result of playing it safe for the team: “My horse did really well today,” he told the press. “I had to have a little bit more pressure on, because I was a little worried about the water – in that way she was a little bit hotter today, so I had to stay on the brakes a little more. That cost me some time,” he continued. “My individual placement is not interesting anymore, I am too far behind – so it was a better decision to take one time fault for the team than to try too hard and then have a pole down. The time allowed was tight, but if you rode it smart it was possible to get inside it.”

Malin Baryard-Johnsson was very happy to be sitting in pole position with her team, but made sure to highlight that this is only the beginning: “It is of course important to have goals, but we still have a long way to go,” she said. “Sitting here tonight is great, but we still have tomorrow left and that is the most important thing to focus on now. I am really happy with my round and extremely happy with my horse. Tomorrow night is going to be under the lights and it is always very individual how each horse reacts – some react more than others,” she explained about what is still to come.

The hero of the day was once again Peder Fredricson with H&M All In. “It was a great feeling, walking out of the ring and taking Sweden into the lead as a team,” he smiled. “I think the course today was very well built – it was not too big but there was enough to think about. The time allowed was also very smart – it was not impossible to catch, but you had to think about it.”